Alipay expands in Japan to bolster Chinese tourism

Alipay has expanded its services to merchants in Japan, in hopes to boost Chinese tourism to the country.

As of early this year, 300,000 retailers in Japan are connected to the Alipay network – marking a 500% increase compared with last year.

The company has confirmed it will not charge access fees to retailers using its service.

Eric Jing, Chairman and CEO of Ant Financial, stated: “We are dedicated to supporting small and micro businesses around the world through our technology. Digital wallets like Alipay are not only convenient payment tools, but also smart marketing platforms to connect merchants and their potential customers before, during and after their visits to Japan.”

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Ant Financial has cited that in 2018, more than 8.3mn Chinese people travelled to Japan, accounting for 27% of total arrivals in the country.

Jing added: “Alipay has been providing technology support to our nine e-wallet partners to enhance their cross-border payment capabilities, and hopefully to bring more Asian customers to Japan to contribute to revitalising the local economy.”

Japan is not the only nation which hopes to boost tourism by making it easier for Chinese consumers to spend: following a deal with Barclaycard, an increased number of merchants across the UK will accept the mobile payment solution.

In addition, Karen Millen stores across Europe will now utilise Alipay, with the help of Wirecard.